CAMP CRAME, September
24, 2003 (STAR) By Ricky Lo and Joanne Ramirez -
Popular actress and TV show host Kris Aquino told police yesterday at Camp
Crame that Parañaque City Mayor Joey Marquez beat her up and poked a gun at
her — acts that may spell doom for the mayor’s political future and end their
relationship for good.

However, Marquez strongly denied allegations by the Aquino camp. He
declared on national television: "Sorry is out of the question. I have not
done anything wrong... I am willing to submit myself to any investigation."

The telenovela-like romance of Kris and Joey ended Monday night after what "Funfare"
sources described as "a violent fight" during which Kris accused Joey of
"pointing a cocked gun" at her.

The incident was the reason why Kris did not show up yesterday for her show
"Morning Girls" with Korina Sanchez on ABS-CBN 2.

The "violent fight" happened at Joey’s condominium unit, owned by his sister
Via Marquez-Hoffman, at Essensa at The Fort in Taguig City. It started after
Joey received a text message from an unidentified female, prompting Kris to get
mad. Kris’ son Joshua witnessed the incident.

Kris’ only brother, Tarlac Rep. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, told The STAR
that Kris and Joshua initially went to the house of her eldest sister Ballsy in
Greenmeadows in Quezon City. Later they proceeded to the residence of former
President Corazon Aquino on Times street also in Quezon City.

"Kris was in shock," said the "Funfare" source. "She had bruises on both
arms. Joshua was in shock, too."

Television footage revealed a bruise on Kris’ left arm.

In a telephone interview with "Funfare," Joey denied having "pointed a gun"
at Kris.

"She tends to be violent every time we fight," said Joey, who started his
romance with Kris two years ago when she interviewed him for the ABS-CBN show
The Buzz after his break-up with his wife Alma Moreno. "She would hurt herself
and threaten to tell everybody that it’s me who hurts her."

The legal counsel of Kris, Raymund Fortun, told GMA-7’s Frontpage that Joey
"pointed a 9-mm. pistol at Kris, cocked it, but eventually removed the magazine
and threw it away." He said Kris also suffered from pains in her neck.

Joey admitted that, like most government officials, he has a licensed gun,
but he has never poked it at anybody "especially not at a girl."

Somebody close to Joey said that if Joey were "that violent" and
"trigger-happy," how come he did not do it to his estranged wife Alma Moreno
when she was rumored to be having an affair with a younger man?

Lorena Bobbit-Style?

The same source said that during the "violent fight," Kris tried to "bite" a
part of Joey’s body and threatened to cut it off Lorena Bobbit-style.

"That night," Joey said, "Kris got so jealous that she became uncontrollable.
She was telling me, ‘Okay, shoot me, shoot me!’ Kasi daw if this comes out in
the media, people will believe her more than they’ll believe me because she’s
Kris Aquino and the daughter of a President. Mas credible daw siya kaysa sa
akin."

At the height of their "violent fight," Joey said he asked Kris to go out of
the condo unit so the neighbors will see for themselves that he was not hurting
her or "pointing a gun" at her.

People close to Kris said that Joshua saw everything that happened. "That’s
why he was in shock and you know how a child is, he won’t tell a lie," one of
her friends said.

The "violent fight" came in the wake of reports that Kris gave Joey a
Porsche, which she denied. It was Assunta de Rossi who gave one to her husband,
Rep. Jules Ledesma. Kris told "Funfare" last Sunday that she gave Joey a BMW
car.

Asked about it, Joey said the BMW was a payment to Kris for being an endorser
for well-known liposuction doctor Vicki Belo.

"I told her to register the car under her name and not in my name," said
Joey, aware as he is part of the ongoing "lifestyle check" on government
officials.

Now on his third and last term as Parañaque mayor, Joey has already made
public his plan to run for city congressman, while his estranged wife Alma
Moreno is running for mayor, also of Parañaque.

Kris had declared in the past that she would support Joey’s candidacy, but
that was before their "violent fight."

Media Circus

Camp Crame turned into a virtual media circus yesterday after Kris arrived at
the office of the Police Anti-Crime and Emergency Response (PACER) at 4 p.m.
Fifteen minutes later, Fortun also arrived.

Later Kris and Noynoy were joined by Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, former Metro
Manila Commission chairman under the Aquino presidency, and lawyer Rene Saguisag,
a spokesman of then President Aquino.

Noynoy told The STAR that no charges were filed against Joey. "We just went
to have Kris’ complaint entered into the police blotter," he said.

"We went through the procedures, went to a medico legal officer, and are in
consultation with our lawyers," Noynoy said.

"The Aquino family is solidly behind Kris," said Aquino spokeswoman Deedee
Siytangco.

In a television interview, Fortun said the bruises of Kris were "discolored"
and that some of her bruises could be "several days old."

"Medical records will attest that the claims of Joey that he did not hurt
Kris were not true," he said.

"Kris could not inflict injuries to herself. That is an insult to Ms. Aquino.
She is not that type of a person... Kris is only about 5’2" and Joey is a foot
taller. The chance of self-defense (on Joey’s part) may not be credible."

Fortun said that the verbal tussle started at 9:45 Monday evening and that
early Tuesday, around 4 a.m. Kris submitted herself to a medical examination at
the Makati Medical Center where she was found to have "sustained physical
injuries in the arms and neck."

"Kris complained of pains in her neck,’ Fortun said.

In another interview, Joey said Kris had told him that whatever happens,
people will believe her more because she was "more popular."

"Now, I am beginning to understand her statements that she will hurt herself
and make people see the bruises and that she will blame me to ruin me," Joey
said.

"I wanted to go out of the room to let people see what was happening, but she
wouldn’t let me. Many things happened. Now it is turning out that I hurt her.
The truth is I was the one hurt," he said.

In an interview with TV Patrol, Saguisag said he and Binay were there because
they were family friends of the Aquinos.